There's a lot of us who are happy to see the war to liberate Iraq going as well as it seems to be going that don't particularly want to give the victory to Pres. Bush. Why are we so uptight about this? Maybe because he's shown a total willingness to give juicy bones to his Rightwing supporters. There are a lot of us "confirmed batchelors" out there that see the potential of suffering from nosey, religiously motivated neighbors, who suddenly demand to know why we're still batchelors and who is that other guy, your "roommate"? We're attracted to the libertarian side of the Republican Party, but we have no delusions about which group of passionate truebelievers are in control of the Republican Party. Our experience is that it's the Christian Right, personified by John Ashcroft, has Pres. Bush's ear, and therefore the power of setting the agenda.

Today was anti-climatic in regards to my encounter with demonstrators. They were focused more on the financial district, so my district, the Civic Center, was spared drama. Since none of my work got done on Thursday, it was just as well that I could give work a few hours on Friday. It being Friday, I stopped by the Edge, an over-50, blue collar bar in the Castro. Most of the people I generally interact with were, in their conversation and attention span, oblivious of the war with Iraq. They were a little more focused on the demonstrators with generally a hostile attitude, but of those expressing an opinion, it was overwhelmingly pro-war, anti-Saddam, and anti-demonstrators. Bush was not generally an issue. These people do not consider George W. Bush to be a friend of their community, but neither do they think it makes the war bad or immoral.

Oh well. I'm very uncomfortable reading my regular favorites of the blog. Their hysterical level seems threatening to me. In the past couple of months, I found comfort in my level of agreement with so many of their points of view. I heard passionate defenses of sexual privacy and freedom from all sorts of personalities, some Christian identified, some atheist identified. But their celebration of the war's apparent success has taken a strident, anti-Democrat tone. I'm not a Democrat, but I still felt threatened by the degree of vitrol. Maybe I'm wrong. Hope so. Really do.

I have such an incredible lack of sympathy for anyone who is actually caught in traffic in San Francisco because of the anti-War protesters. All I can wonder is WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING? Anyone with the slightest awareness of the world around them knew perfectly fucking well what was in store in San Francisco today. No sympathy here. That doesn't mean I won't vote for justifiable homicide in case some asshole got killed for blocking a mother with a kid in the car just because she's driving a big SUV. These protesters have declared war on capitalism, America, Israel, and there were other listed by the speaker in the S.F. Civic Center this afternoon, but I was walking too fast to hear the entire group listed and damned. But back to my previous point. How stupid was it to drive in San Francisco today? We can't say we weren't warned.

Pete Wilson, a television newscaster, had the most astute comment about San Francisco this evening. Earlier Mayor Brown whined that wasn't it ironic that San Francisco, one of the most anti-war cities in the world, was suffering disproportionately from the actions of the protesters. What Pete said was something like how typical of San Francisco to make the issue to be about San Francisco. Never mind the war going on over there, it's really about us, here. Mayor Brown was correct. How ironic. I do want to congratulate and express my gratitude for the troops over here that are under intense fire. I mean, of course, the San Francisco Police Department, under the direction -- and leadership -- of Acting Chief Fagan. He's a good, solid man, not a saint, God knows, but a good cop in the Irish tradition. We're well served by his knowledge of the situation. This is not his first determined demonstration.

How do you spell "perfidy"? My people spell it F-R-A-N-C-E. From Billy Beck over at The Command Post.

I just had an unpleasant encounter with one of the idiot demonstrators in the San Francisco Civic Center. My friend and I were checking out the grand opening of the Asian Art Museum when this guy brushed past me and I noticed he was wearing an Israeli flag with a swastika marked over the star of David. I was so incensed that I shot him that ol' one finger salute to within about half an inch of his nose. My friend dragged me off as I was yelling "fuck you, you low life asshole idiot. Fuck Palestinians, too! They kill Jews! I hate them and I hate you!" Sorry, but it is personal.

Funniest line today (so far): Terry Oglesby over at Possumblog, in response to Saddam Hussein's exhortation to his people to "draw their swords." To quote Terry, "never bring a knife to a gunfight."

I have not believed in invoking God's name in war and battles ever since I read Mark Twain's The War Prayer back in the early 70's. Nonetheless, when I contemplate those young men and women who are facing danger, my heart swells with pride and I feel great angst for their safety and well being. Is that a prayer? If I wish them safety and well being, am I wishing the Iraqis death and destruction? I don't think so. I think death and destruction has already been visited upon them with Saddam Hussein. For our soldiers and sailors, please know how proud we are of you. Be bold of heart and of firm resolve. The prayers of the nation are with you.

There's a lot of buzz about whether or not Saddam Hussein was taken out Wednesday night. Sean-Paul pulls a great theory from Hesiod about how maybe the link to Saddam Hussein's whereabouts was established by the false report of Tariq Aziz's abandonment of the Iraqi lost cause which forced him to go on television to announce his loyalty to Saddam which allowed us to zero in on the transmission. I think it just as likely that the claims about Saddam's death may also be an attempt to get him to go on television and deny it which again allows us to zero in on where he is. It should be so easy.

Meryl Yourish is pointing to a warblog central where one can find the latest war buzz.
The Command Post. She credits Michele. I have little to offer in that corner. But, under the category of all politics is local, demonstrators are doing their best in San Francisco (where I work) to shut down the city, or at least to disrupt it so that everyone realizes there can be no "business as usual." I consider the demonstrations to be about the same as masturbation. If it gets you off, go ahead, but please, not in my face. Keeping me from my office, preventing me from driving about the city, making it difficult to get into the Federal Building for lunch does not increase my sympathy for their position.

If you want to have some fun, go to Craigs List in the S.F.Bay Area and watch the anti-war Leftists going bezerk.

March 19, 2003

Everyone seems real tense. This war thing is getting on everybody's nerves.